Election Reform.

After the election is over, everyone goes back to ignoring the enormous problems in the practical aspect of elections — the actual voting.

Sign on side of school bus "NAACP voter registration drive ..." (published between 1944 and 1962)

Shortly after the November election I called Senator Hillary Clinton’s office because I had heard that she was working on this issue. Imagine my surprise today to find that on the other end of my ringing telephone was a young man from Senator Clinton’s office responding to my inquiry.

Granted, he did not have any information — in fact, less than I was able to gain after spending a couple minutes post-call with “teh google,” but I am really pleased that someone called me back at all!

Three suffragists casting votes, circa 1917, possibly New York City.

In a fit of pique some time in late November I deleted the folder of election-reform links I had collected over the previous 6 months and am having a bit of a problem reconstructing it now, so I can’t put my hands on exactly what it was I had read about Senator Clinton’s efforts that prompted my call, but I am reminded of the glacial pace of Congress.

The Count Every Vote Act of 2005 (“Legislation Would Enact Sweeping Reforms by Next Major Election Cycle in 2006”) died in committee.

I have worked as a poll worker in local elections but stopped after being chastised by the director of elections for my city for refusing to allow candidates or their workers to campaign inside the polling place while the election was occurring.

I asked the kid to email me with any information he could about who else in the Senate might be working on election issues, given that Mrs. Clinton is moving to the State Department. I hope he does.

There is much work to be done in this area. I hope that there will be progress made before November 2010.